when I apply power (either USB or ext.) the power LED comes on BUT the 'L' LED blinks at 1Hz with aprox.[/color] 1:5 mark:space ratio[/b] if I press reset the 'L' LED goes out while the button is pressed, but comes on as soon as I release it if I power off & remove the ATMGEA168 and power on, just the power LED lights I haven't been able to upload anything. Neither of 2 XP PC's or an OS X 10.4 Mac registers the hardware I am not new to electronics/ soldering etc, but new to arduino please help I was so looking forward to experimenting with this, but at the minute, it's just an ornament[/size] forgive me if this is covered elsewhere and I missed it [smiley=embarassed.gif] I'm not new to forums and I did do a thorough search for an answer
Hi, liammc. I am the person who sold you the kit. In this forum you will find questions and answers of the Arduino boards manufactured and sold by the Arduino Team. We can use this medium to find a solution or we can do it via email (orders at nkcelectronics dot com).
Here are some tips:
Did you install the FTDI drivers that are located under the Arduino0009 IDE software package?
Is the board recognized when you plug it to the USB port? What port numbers do you see in Arduino0009 (Tools --> Serial Port)? In Windows, if you see your board with Port numbers higher than 10, you need to use device manager to assign a lower number, between 1 and 9 (It is being fixed in Arduino0010 I guess, by the Arduino Team). Usually standard port numbers in your PC are COM1 and COM3, so you can assign any number like COM4, COM5, etc). Sometimes windows will tell you that such port number is taken, but you can assign it anyway, if you are sure you don't have any device in there, because installing drivers will reserve the COM ports).
Try first in one of the PCs, as Windows will make a sound when the board is plugged and recognized
When you press the upload button in the Arduino0009 IDE, the L LED should stop blinking and you should see some activity in the TX and RX LEDs
What message do you get in the Arduino0009 IDE message area (error messages in RED)?
Thanks for the quick reply
I wasn't sure how much after sales you would do and I am very pleased you have volunteered to help
There doesn't appear to be any hardware detection - no sound on PC - tried several times, including pressing reset on board while still attached to PC
I installed FTDI drivers on Mac and both PC's
on the Mac I have a long list under Tools --> Serial Port, but nothing with 'USB' in it
on the PC under Tools --> Serial Port, I have selected COM1
I'm really concerned that there is a hardware problem as the blinking stops without the ATmega168 in place
Liam, the atmega168 is the brain of the board, and what makes the LED L blink, and a lot of other stuff.
Try the following:
Unplug the board from USB
with a hot soldering iron, try to apply 1-2 seconds of heat to each pin on the FT232BL chip (where the pin touches the board, not where the pin enters the chip)
Replug the board in a PC to check if you hear the beep that Windows makes. If you hear the beep, try again from Arduino0009. But do not select COM1, as it is your included COM port. Select one of the new COM ports that will appear in the Tools menu. If the new COM ports are higher than 10, then follow the method described above to assign a lower number, like 4, 5 or something below 10.
Post your results. I will be following up until we can solve the problem.
Bit nervous about tackling the tiny SMT connections (the main reason I sought out a board like yours) but will give it a go
Close inspection under a magnifier reveals some joints are slightly different
I will repeat the disconnect/solder/connect cycle until I get a result and report back
BTW How long can you stay in this conversation today?
If it breaks beyond any possible repair, I will send you a new board (assembled and tested), so go ahead.
I will stay as long as you need. My day is just starting. If you prefer, we can do it via email, or if you consider the information we are exchanging can be useful to other members assembling similar boards or their own boards, then we should continue using this forum.
happy to share
hopefully this is a one-off but if it's not...
gingerly applied tip until solder melted
did all pins and examined under magnifier again (incl. checking for accidental 'bridging') before reconnecting
no sound
blinking continues
I have also gone back to the images on the pages quoted in my original post, to check if anything else could be wrong, but no clues there
I would love to do the autopsy, but shipping it back is not worth the effort and the cost. You can continue trying to make it work, while you wait for the new board to arrive! If you succeed, you will have two boards! If not, you will still have 2 atmega168s, at least.
I have 3 different LED colors that I can use in the board. Any particular preference for Power, L, TX, RX? I have opaque green, red and yellow (looks like orange).
wow ... now that is customer service ... i have nothing to do with either of you .. not related not friends nothing ... i just wanted to express how pleased i am to read that there are still people out there that will go out of their way to help you.
